One-Man
by BrenRome
Summary: Doug Iancruz is determined to prove himself as a worthy superhero to his homework helper/former real-life superheroine as One-Man. (I own NOTHING but my OC's. This is For FAN-purposes Only, so PLEASE don't sue!"
1. The Beginning of One-Man!

_**Hello, everybody! 2014 is here, and with it comes a new legend spinning out of American Woman, I present to you my newest foray into Kick-Ass Fanfiction…One-Man! Now, in case you haven't read the conclusion to American Woman, I unfortunately have to talk about that series as this is the continuation of that fanfic. As such, there are spoilers, so if you wish to read the story for yourself first, I suggest you read that one first. Now, in American Woman, we were introduced to Abby Adriene, a normal local high school student from New York who was inspired by years of reading comics, and the heroics of Kick-Ass to become her own superheroine American Woman. Her first test-run as a superheroine ended with Abby getting her ass handed to her by The Red Mist, now The Motherfucker, who pushed Abby off a Five-Story-Building and then shot her in the chest. Fortunately, Abby was rescued by Hit-Girl who with the help of Kick-Ass restored Abby replacing the broken born with metal plates similar to Kick-Ass's. After an encounter with new superhero 'True Hero' and rescuing a pregnant woman, Abby became a sensation as American Woman. American Woman is even given a TV Movie with Scarlett Johanson in the titular role. Abby also develops a relationship with True Hero and even begins to consider a future with him. Unfortunately, Abby's super-hero alter came to an end when True Hero was revealed to be Red Mist's sixteen-year-old-cousin whom Red Mist made a hero only to lure American Woman into a sense of false security. Red Mist kidnaps Abby and forces her to fight to the death, before True Hero ultimately sacrifices his own life to save Abby, taking a blade right in his heart. Plauged by the guilt that she caused the death of a sixteen-year-old, Abby quit being American Woman, vowing to never get involved with Super Heroics ever again. That's basically what happened in American Woman. Now chronologically-speaking, this continuity is based on a mix between the comics and the movies of Kick-Ass, so Abby's story ended a few months before The Motherfucker made a mess out of Dave's life, before leaving to travel the world, and returning with his gang. This story takes place a few months later in the aftermath of The Motherfucker's attack, in which Kick-Ass is trying to break Hit-Girl out of prison. For the mixing of the comics and movie of Kick-Ass 2, Hit-Girl basically got away as she did in the movie, but a few months later was arrested as her comic-book-counterpart was. But for now, the year is 2014, and we are now ready to be introduced to our newest Fanfic star. With that said, I hope you enjoy. Oh, and I own NOTHING except my OC's. This is for FAN-Purposes ONLY, so please don't sue! With that said, enjoy!**_

"So…did you hear about the latest superhero captured tonight?"

I turned to seem my best friend; Billy Fischer. He was a 15-year-old boy, and my best friend since Pre-K.

Now, who am I, you might ask? My name is Doug Iancruz, and this is the story of how I became a superhero.

I was your average ordinary Senior-middle-school-student, living in Florida with my Mom and Dad. No superpowers, nothing. I was a fan of _Doctor Who_, various video games, comics, and real-life superheroes. I was born to two parents who barely had any time for me and were far too busy with their time as homes salesmen.

Truth be told, it's hard to live in Florida even though I'm probably a couple hour's ride away from Disney World or Universal Florida. Usually, you really got to worry about the cops down here. Ever since Superheroes became outlawed in New York, different states decided to take matters into their own hands and were trying to get laws passed for their state. Florida got it worst. Already a mostly-republican state, police are authorized to take out any vigilante by any means necessary, even though Florida has yet to declare its stance on Superheroes yet. I know some places around the world were willing to let them stay, but some others just didn't want any more real-life heroes after what happened with New York.

I don't honestly remember much about the fall of superheroes. I figured I had nothing to do with them, and because of it, things went by so fast that I barely got a chance to know about any of them before they were forced into hiding. The only heroes I had was my Homework helper, Ms. Adriene.

Ms. Adriene was my babysitter, who often stayed with me when my parents couldn't. She came down to Florida about sometime last year, and volunteered to work with me when my last sitter left. Ms. Adriene was a nice woman, but I couldn't help but feel at the time that there was something more to her. She apparently came from New York where the real-life Superhero craze started. I had asked her before what it was like and she told me she didn't care about it anymore. If only I knew what she really meant by that.

"Dude?" Billy asked, snapping me back up, "Earth-to-Doug? Are you there?"

"Sure." I said, not even caring, "Whatever, yeah."

He was discussing to me another arrest of a real-life superhero. Apparently someone calling themselves 'The Savior' went and tried to beat-up a gang hiding out in a warehouse in upstate Georgia, but instead accidently managed to set the place on-fire and everyone got arrested. I never understood what the deal was with real-life Superheroes becoming outlaws. From what I heard, there was a battle in New York a short while ago where a supervillain had held the city hostage in an attempt to become a real-life version of Heath Ledger's Joker. Yet it was the one who started this trend, Kick-Ass, with his team of heroes that ended up saving everybody. Yet for some reason the cops decided to arrest him and everyone else in a costume making everyone an outlaw. If anything, they should've just arrested the villains! Life didn't make a lick of sense to me, and my own was about to get a whole lot more confusing.

Ian just nodded. It was at times like this I was glad to have a friend who would stand by me like this.

Finally, the bell rang, and we all exited, as I walked out into the school's front entrance, Ms. Adriene was already there waiting for me waiting in front of her car. Her light brown hair was tied into a bun, and she was wearing one of those min-skirts, and a _'I survived Jurassic Park: River Adventure'_ T-Shirt. Taking off her sunglasses, she walked up to me and gave me a high-five.

"Hi, there, Rock Star." She greeted, "How's it going, Iancruz?"

"Nothing much." I admitted, "I got an A on that English report we studied for."

"Nice." She smiled, "We'll let's get going back to your house, then."

_**Abby's POV:**_

As I took Cruz back to the house, I reflected on what had happened in the past year.

After I had caused True Hero's death, I gave up on American Woman as well. I took the costume and anything else that was left of my alter ego and threw it out in the East River. I didn't want anything else to do with it, and I knew deep down inside that an outlawing on heroes was inevitable.

I tried to warn Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, but they were too stubborn to go. Last I heard, a couple of months ago, Hit-Gril (or Mindy MacCready as she was now known thanks to her apprehension being everywhere on the news,) was arrested with her adopted father, and there was no sign of Kick-Ass anywhere in the news. My best guess is that he either dropped off the radar, or he was killed in the final showdown with The Motherfucker in Times Square. I understand that a lot of heroes were taken in, and Kick-Ass somehow managed to avoid arrest. From what I gathered, Kick-Ass managed to push the Motherfucker off a building, and he ended up getting worse than what I got. As I heard, The Motherfucker landed so hard that his legs and arms were practically too damaged to repair so they had to amputate him instead.

I shivered at the thought of him. I had sex with his younger cousin, for Christ sake! A boy probably just as old, if not one year older than Cruz is! Red Mist's cousin was just somebody who thought his cousin was giving him the life he always wanted and his wish killed him again.

After that, I came down here to Florida to study law and a little bit of politics. It might actually come in handy if I want to help…no. I brushed that thought aside. I just wanted to be a senator, or at least MAYBE make something for myself, but nothing life-changing like what I had lived before. I was done with that. No more heroes. No more adventures. No more American Woman. Ever again.

_**Doug's POV:**_

After we arrived home, we worked on some algebra problems, and then finished up for the night. Ms. Adriene then told me to go upstairs, and shower so that afterwards, we'd have dinner and play some of her Kinect games she brought over, seeing as how my parents were visiting South Florida and wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning.

But when I entered the room I noticed something that was imminently out of place.

Placed on my bed was a suitcase. One that looked old and worn. That DEFINITELY wasn't there when I left.

I walked towards my bed and opened the suitcase, to my surprise, there was some sort of costume in there!

Inside was a white swimsuit, red gloves and boots, a blue mask with white stars on it, and a cheerleading jacket with the American Flag on the back. Where-in-the-name-of-Mother-Eye did THAT come from?

Putting the costume to the side, I looked through the other stuff. There was also a newspaper article in there. One of a woman wearing the costume now on my bed as she was beating up some thugs.

I was wondering what that all meant, and then I saw it.

My eyes widened as I picked up a comic book encased in a plastic covering. It was of that Black Widow comic series that came out in 2009, (I think it was to promote Iron Man 2,) with a note that read 'To Abby; The Best! Scarlet Johansson.'

There was only one Abby I knew and from the look of the heroine in these photos, it was all beginning to make sense. This was Ms. Adriene!

Looking at the costume and then back at the other memorabilia, it all suddenly made sense. There was only ONE explanation for this.

Ms. Adriene was a Superhero!

"Doug!" I heard a voice declare, snapping me out of my discovery.

_**Abby's POV:**_

I stood there, jaw dropped. I had come upstairs to ask Doug if he'd mind going to sleep on his own tonight since I had to have an exam early tomorrow, and now he was somehow in possession of my old costume, and other previous possessions! Everything that I had thought was thrown away was now back in my life and in the hands of a kid I was tutoring!

Rushing over to him, I snatched the old newspaper article of me that he had been staring at and I quickly began ripping it to shreds. I then took another of the newspapers and did the same.

"Where did you get this from?!" I demanded, gathering my old costume and storing it all in the suitcase.

"You were a superhero?" Doug asked me.

"NO!" I snapped, "Not anymore! I gave that up a long time ago! Now how the hell did you get this?!"

"It was just lying on my bed." Doug said, honestly, "Why'd you retire?"

"Doug!" I told him, racing downstairs with the suitcase under my arm while he followed, "I want you to forget EVERYTHING you knew about this! You are not to say a single word, or let anybody know what's happened tonight."

"What are you going to do?" Doug asked as I entered the living room.

Grabbing the fireplace remote, I set it for the highest heat level and watched the flames go up as I went for the last remnants of my past life.

"I am going to burn this and walk away!" I declared; ready to literally throw the case into the flames.

Before I could, I heard a knock at the door.

"Hello?" A voice asked, "This is Florida Police. Can we talk to you for a second?"

"Shit." I cursed, turning the fireplace off, and throwing the case to Doug, looking at him seriously, "Doug; you need to go and hide that case! I don't care if you have to hide it in the toilet! Just find a good hiding place now! I have to talk to this guy."

Doug just nodded and left. I straightened myself out and went over to the door looking outside. It was actually too dark for me to see who it was, but it looked like a feminine figure.

"Yes?" I asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Florida Police, Ma'am." The voice told me, "We just need to talk to you."

"Okay." I said, opening the door.

Suddenly, the door burst open and I found myself sent flying back, the door falling right on my chest, taking me off-balance.

Ever since my retirement, I've been out of shape. I'm not fat by any means, but I seem to look more like a tad more closer to pre-middle age than 20 years old. I hadn't been working out in my spare time as much as I did when I was American Woman, so it was only rational that I would be a bit out of shape by this point.

I coughed loudly as I saw the doorway was on fire. I could only imagine how pissed Doug's parents were going to be when they got back.

As I tried to push myself up, a huge boot pushed the door hard against my body, pinning me to the ground. Looking up, I saw a mysterious new figure. It was some guy dressed in a priest costume with a gas mask over his face. He was also holding a machine gun in his right hand, held next to his head like some schlocky B-Movie hero.

"You will die for your sins." The man exclaimed, pointing the gun towards my chest.

He shot me once there as I cried out in pain. I still had my metal plates in there from all those years ago, but I knew that if I didn't get help soon, than I would die quickly.

For a brief second, I was crazy to consider fighting back, but then I looked in horror as I saw Doug looking over from behind the wall to the kitchen.

"Doug!" I coughed out, spilling blood from my lips, "Call 911! NOW!"

_**Doug's POV:**_

This was all too crazy.

I went to put away Ms. Adriene's costume in the garbage like she asked when I heard an explosion.

Imagine my surprise when I found a nightmarish-looking priest that looked like something out of the next _Bioshock_ game, pinning Ms. Adriene down to the ground and holding a gun to her head.

I didn't know what else to do, but stand there, trying desperately not to shit or piss myself.

Then the man turned to me, finally taking notice of me.

_Oh. Shit._ I thought.

"Well," The man smiled, turning to Ms. Adriene, "What a shock! I guess you slept with someone else after all!"

Slept with someone else?! What the hell was this man talking about?!

Turning back to me, he grinned as I took cover behind the wall as he opened fire on where I had been peeking from.

I was gasping quickly now, as I heard the footsteps getting closer.

Turning to my right, I saw the garbage bin over there.

I then had an idea. It was a crazy idea, but it would have to work now. There was no other way as I saw it.

I grabbed the can and waited until I thought he was close enough and prayed to god that this plan would work.

Just as I figured he was close enough, I ran forward, trash bin in my hand, fortunately, my timing was perfect, and I swung the can out as the man came around the corner, promptly knocking him in the face, and sending him to the ground.

I was so amazed that it worked I could only stand there.

Until I heard Ms. Adriene's voice again.

"Doug!" She coughed, "Help me up!"

I went over and grabbed the door, pushing it off her. Ms. Adriene got back to her feet and ran off to the basement, reappearing with a fire extinguisher a second later to put out the flames. I noted that by now my neighbors might've called The Police by now. Nobody was allowed to get involved with superhuman or villains in Florida any more. The law here was if you see something, call the police.

Ms. Adriene was NOT doing that, as she grabbed the priest guy's body, dragging him behind the wall so no one could see her.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ms. Adriene asked, taking the machine gun and pointing it at the guy's head, "I'm going to blow this guy's brains out before he wakes up and tries to kill us again!"

"Ms. Adriene, NO!" I yelled.

"Go ahead." The man smiled, "Kill me like you killed your boyfriend."

I saw Ms. Adriene give a horrified look as she continued to point the gun towards the villain's head.

"How do you know that?!" Ms. Adriene declared, "Who the hell are you?!"

"I am the first of many." The man smiled.

Ms. Adriene looked at me, and then back at the guy.

"You know something?" Ms. Adriene asked, "Guns were never my type of thing."

With that, she clocked the guy in the head with the machine gun, as he fell unconscious.

…

_**Later…**_

I sat there as the police continued to question Ms. Adriene. My parents had been called and were coming home now. Ms. Adriene made me swear to not tell anything about the costume and I did as she instructed. Finally, the police left after taking the villain away and Ms. Adriene sat down next to me.

I don't know why I blurted out what I did next, but I suppose it was because I had felt a sort-of rush. A sense of excitement and thrill when I helped Ms. Adriene take down that guy. Culminating with my love of comics and real-life superheroes is probably what made me say to her what I did.

"Ms. Adriene…" I asked, "I want to be a superhero."

"Absolutely out of the question." Ms. Adriene said bluntly, getting up and retrieving the briefcase.

She walked me upstairs and made me get ready for bed. Once I was tucked in, I asked her one question before she left.

"Why'd you quit?" I asked.

Ms. Adriene stopped in the doorway and looked at me.

"Doug…" She said, "Trust me. It's for the best that you don't know. I was once like you and thought that being a superhero means you don't get hurt. Just trust me, you can't do this."

I didn't understand what she was saying, but I just nodded unsurely.

"Go to sleep now." She half-smiled, "Your parents will be here in the morning."

With that, she closed the door on me and I went to sleep.

But all I could dream about that night, was how I should have been terrified by that guy who attacked us.

Instead, I felt something completely different. I felt…I felt joy.

I guess it's kind of like what happens when someone takes a drug. I've never taken drugs, and I don't know anybody who does, but from what I understand, they usually feel some kind of enjoyment that usually gets them hooked onto whatever it is they're on.

That's how I was feeling right now. I was so hooked on the fact that I was able to take down a supervillain that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. Ms. Adriene couldn't stop me, and if she wasn't going to help me, then why the heck should I listen to her and forget about it.

I had made up my mind and decided I wanted to be the first real-life Superhero to operate here since the ban on Supers. No matter the cost.

…

_**Abby POV:**_

DAMMIT! What the hell's wrong with me?!

I made a vow to never be American Woman again, and yet something Doug did is getting on me!

As I got in my car, I reflected on his face when I told him it was too dangerous for him to realize. In many ways, it was like me when I first decided to be a super hero. Young, optimistic….dammit! Stop thinking about it!

But as I continued to drive, I kept thinking back to my younger days; the more carefree days. The days when I used to be happy as American Woman, the days when I thought True Hero and I would one day…NO! STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!

I needed to burn this piece of shit as quickly as possible now.

So as soon as I got back to my apartment, I quickly raced to the roof and set up a little bonfire. There was an old empty oil rig up there, so I lit some newspapers and tossed them in before grabbing my old gear. As I prepared to toss it in, though, I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hi, Abby."

I spun around to see...Me. Rather a younger version of me dressed from head-to-toe in my old uniform. My 'Glory Days' as it were.

"Miss me?" The younger Me asked.

I shook my head.

"You're not real." I reasoned, "You're just a figment of my imagination. You're not here."

"Maybe." Younger Me suggested, "Or maybe I'm your conscience here to get you back on track."

"I'm not doing this." I explained, "I made a choice to stop being a hero and I'm sticking by it. I'm American Woman no more!"

"Then why am I here?" Young Me asked.

"What're you saying?" I demanded.

"You know what I'm saying." Young me said, walking in a circle around me, "Yes, we accidentally killed somebody. Maybe not directly, though. But you saw what happened in New York and you've seen how crime is beginning to rise again. Don't you think those could've been avoided if you had stayed a hero? Okay, realistically you couldn't have saved everybody, but you could have made some kind of difference. And isn't that one of the reasons why you became a superhero? To make a difference in your life?"

I looked at her as she looked back at me.

"Let's face it, Abby;" She said, "You weren't through yet. You just dealt with too much at once and hit burnout."

"I don't have to listen to this." I said as I shook my head.

"If you insist," Younger Me said, "But what are you going to do about Doug?"

I froze with my hands clutched to the box, holding it over the bonfire.

"You saw how enthusiastic he was." Young Me continued, "He'll try to do something on his own and probably do something wrong like you did. Unless...he had the proper trainer."

My younger self was bringing up good points. But still...

"Tell you what," Young Me sighed, "Answer this for me honestly and I'll disappear forever if you tell me the truth. Do you want what happened to you to happen to Doug? Do you want him to end up like how Billy did? Do you want to help people still?"

I sighed. Slowly my hands brought the box away from the fire and against my chest. I opened the box and looked at the memorabilia from my past life. The Black Widow Comic I had signed by Scarlett Johansson, a news photo of me with Billy, and finally, my old costume. All of these things were finally making me give in to my own mental persuasions.

"Yes." I whispered softly.

"Then what are you doing up there?" A voice asked from bellow.

I walked down the stairs and let myself back into my apartment where I found my younger self sitting on the couch wearing normal clothes rather than the costume.

"Well?" My younger self asked, "Go ahead, list your conditions...and I'll tell you mine."

I closed the door and walked over to my younger self who was grinning happily.

"Let's set the rules." I explained sitting next to her.

"Okay."

"We do Doug's homework while training him."

"WHAT?!" Younger me asked.

"Hit-Girl helped us out when I was almost killed after my first patrol when I started out." I explained, "I owe that same luxury to Doug."

"Fair." Young Me said, "Second Rule; we shadow him while he's on patrol."

I opened my mouth before Young Me interrupted.

"Not in-costume, but just shadow him from a distance." Young Me elaborated, "Just as insurance."

I thought for a minute.

"Well," I said, "At least it helps to be there for him if something goes wrong."

"Very true."

I looked at Young Me seriously.

"One final condition," I stated.

"Yes?" Young Me asked.

"We train Doug at a run out place." I explained, "Somewhere where no one will look for us at."

"Why?"

"Perhaps to show that we train in secret...while healing our wounds."

Young Me smiled.

"Done." She said.

I rubbed my eyes with my hands and groaned.

"Okay." I asked, "What now?"

"You know what happens now."

I looked up to see that younger me was gone.

…

_**Doug's POV…**_

The next day, I sighed with relief, school was finally over, and I could relax for the rest of the summer.

"So how can John Hurt be the real Ninth Doctor if what I read says the blue elixir of life that good old Paul McGann drank is only supposed to be an artificial regeneration, and doesn't require any of his real regeneration energy? Shouldn't that mean Matt Smith was still the Eleventh Doctor and not Twelve?"

"I dunno," I admitted, "I guess maybe it's because David Tennant canceled his regeneration after getting shot in _Journey's End_ by expelling it into his cut-off hand."

"THAT JUST RAISES EVEN MORE QUESTIONS!"

I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened last night. I had faced a real-life super villain and I should be terrified, but I felt some kind of rush from it.

I felt as if I wanted to do it again. Hell, I wanted to go out right now and fight crime.

I felt as if I wanted to become a superhero.

No. I KNEW I wanted to become a superhero.

"So you wanna see the new X-Men Film finally?" Billy asked me.

"Maybe tomorrow." I stated, looking ahead to see Ms. Adriene standing a few feet ahead of us. Her face seemed to have healed quickly since last night, and I noticed she was wearing a white tank top and jeans with black sunglasses. Her face was serious and stern.

"What happened to your tutor?" Billy joked, "Boyfriend breakup?"

"Shut up." I said, seriously but keeping my voice at a reasonable level for him to understand, "I gotta go. I'll call you later."

I got into her car, as she began driving.

"I know what you're thinking." She told me, "You want to be a superhero now, even though I told you no."

I froze, feeling as if she was going to kill me for it.

"I've had some…reflecting last night." She admitted, "And I'll tell you this...I understand where you're coming from, Doug. I know what it's like to want to become a superhero. But you're not trained well enough. You don't have the experience I've been through."

"What did you go through?" I asked.

"I'll tell sometime." Ms. Adriene told me, "Depends on one thing, though."

"What?" I asked.

We came to a red light, as she turned to me.

"Here's what I'm going to do;" She told me, "I'll let you be a superhero. But you have to train with me. I'll do your work with you after school while we do training and patrols, but it has to be in secret."

"And if I decide to go out without you?" I asked.

"Then I'll expose your secret to your parents instantly." Ms. Adriene answered, as we continued to drive, "Unless you promise to not go out. This isn't me being rude, but I'm just trying to tell you that you need my help to survive as a hero. So what do you say, Doug? Will you let me train you?"

I looked at her and nodded.

"I'll do it." I said.

"Good." She said, and began driving a bit faster, "Then hold on."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

….

_**Brent's Body Workout Gym…**_

Ms. Adriene had taken me over to an old an decrepit gym.

"This'll be our Batcave, if you will." Abby said, walking up to me with a Bible, "You are NOT to mention this place to ANYONE."

"So what's with the bible?" I asked.

"It's your initiation." Abby explained, "Like how Batman made Dick Grayson swear to being a hero, I'm making you swear to use your powers for good. Now place your hand on it."

I did as she looked at me.

"Now repeat after me," She instructed, "'I; Doug Iancruz…'"

"'I; Doug Iancruz…'"

"'Swear to be a hero from this dayforth…'"

"'Swear to be a hero from this dayforth…'"

"'And I swear to never question my instructor or her methods…'"

"'And I swear to never question my instructor or her methods…'"

"'For if I do, then I'm no longer a hero.'"

"'For if I do, then I'm no longer a hero.'"

Ms. Adriene smiled at me, as she put the bible under her arm and shook my hand.

"Congradulations, Ian…" She said, "Your new life as a Superhero starts now."

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**TEASER:**_

"_My Name is Doug Iancruz. I'm a fanboy and now I'm a Real-Life Superhero In-Training. My homework helper is a former superhero who's also just become my Superhero Sensi."_

(Shot of Doug and Abby doing Martial Arts together, with Abby blocking all of the attacks without breaking a sweat.)

"Stop fighting like a wimp and start fighting like Bruce Campbell!" Abby instructs.

(Doug continues his onslaught of punches only faster this time, and manages to land a hit on Abby's face and sends her crashing to the ground.)

"How's that?" He asks with a smirk.

"_Ms. Adriene's a bit hesitant about me being a hero…"_

(Shot of Doug stepping out of a black minivan. He's now dressed in his costume. It's a jean jacket with a red cape, a white eye mask, with black gloves, and orange boots. Around his waist is a utility belt that reads 'OM.')

"_But I intend to show Ms. Adriene that I can be the one successful hero I know I am."_

Close shot on Doug's eyes.

"I am One-Man."

(Quick flashes of Doug fighting villians, a man in a white business suit, a kid around Doug's age in some type of Samurai Getup, a young girl wearing some kind of glittering green swimsuit and mask with green gloves and boots, a man with some kind of weird top-hat with a spiral, and then finally a cut to black. We then see Doug looking tensely at someone and then we see it's Abby wearing her American Woman costume again.)

"You're in way over your head, One-Man." Abby says, "And I'm bringing you in!"

_**There you have it, folks! As Doug begins his training, Abby starts her reflecting! I thank you for joining me on this new story, and want to give you a behind-the-scenes look on how this came about.**_

_**As I stated in American Woman, I always knew the story would end with Abby retiring, but when I realized I wanted to write it sooner, I thought I could do a sequel story without Abby being the main focus of it.**_

_**When Marvel killed off The Ultimate Version of Peter Parker (who still had an infinitely more dignified version that Mainstream Universe Peter's, [and yes; two years later, I'm still pissed off and Dan Slott is still as f**king shitty a writer as ever, whom I sincerely hope croaks before he can ruin anything else at Marvel,]) and revealed the character of Miles Morales, I became fascinated with the concept of having a junior hero try to follow in the footsteps of someone much more experienced than him. Something that went along the lines of Batman Beyond, if you will, with a young protagonist discovering someone they know has a wonderful, but also dark legacy behind them, and convincing them to let them take up the mantle for a new generation.**_

_**So that's how the character of Doug Iancruz was born. And who better to tutor him than Abby? Oh, and that little sneak peak with Abby donning her outfit once more, that will not be the highlight closure of the main arc, as I've got a ton of more things I can't share right now because it's too good to say for now, I will say though that the final chapter on the first arc will be something that not many of you are going to be expecting I'm sure. All I can say is if you're reading this, thank you for taking a chance at this fic once again, and I hope you're ready to join me for the wild ride that is about to become the normal life of Doug Iancruz. As always, reviews are appreciated! See you next time!**_


	2. The Costume, The Name, And The Revenge!

**Hi, Everyone! Welcome back to One-Man. In this chapter, we will see the beginning of Doug's rise as a Superhero and a little something extra you may recall from the previous Kick-Ass Fanfic I've done. As always, read, review, and hit that favorite button. Oh, and I own NOTHING but my OC's. This is for FAN-purposes only, so please don't sue!**

_**DOUG'S POV:**_

I threw a right hook to Ms. Adriene who blocked it and then countered by grabbing my arm between both of hers and spinning me around.

I recovered from the dizziness and then charged her again. This time she stepped back making me miss her and then lunged forward, bringing her right knee up, and kneeing me in the gut.

"Alright." She clapped her hands, "That's enough for today."

I coughed as she handed me some an energy drink. For the past week, we've been doing this routine nonstop and it's getting to be monotonous. Still, I wanted to help people, and if this is the way to it, I'd do whatever it took to prove myself to Ms. Adriene.

"You're not bad, though." She acknowledged, bringing out a notebook and pen, "Hell of a lot better than I was when I had my first patrol."

"What's with the notebook and stuff?" I asked.

"We're finally going to discuss your name and costume." Ms. Adriene explained, "We can't have you making something homemade because there's always the possibility someone might make the connection. That being said, I do have a friend who might be willing to help. It's a long-shot, but it's the best chance we got. I'm flying back to New York tonight on the lie that I'm spending the weekend there for reflection on my life, but it's really to meet her."

"Do you trust her?" I asked.

Ms. Adriene gave a sad face.

"The better question is if she still trusts me." She sighed, "We haven't spoken since I hung up my costume and...well...I don't know how exactly she's gonna react."

She sat down on a bench as I sat next to her.

"Let's start with names," She told me, tapping her pen against the paper, "Now interesting fact; I actually named my alter ego after the character of 'American Son' featured back when Dan Slott wrote GOOD Spider-Man stories."

"So that was before he became a misogynistic, racist, and sexist sack of crap who didn't give a rat's rear-end about his fans anymore?" I asked, referring to Slott's spectacularly epic failure with Superior Spider-Man.

"You know I almost considered going back in my suit and kicking the crap out of him unless he reversed his plan?" Ms. Adriene asked making me laugh, "Anyways, we're getting off-track here. Let's think of any Superheroes you like."

"Well," I said, "I've always been a big Superman fan. So I guess I'd like a man in my name. Just not sure what kind of 'Man' I want to be yet."

"Then think about it," Ms. Adriene suggested, "Why did you enjoy him so much?"

I thought back to my younger age, remembering when I first watched him in the old Warner Brothers Animated series.

"I guess it was because he was a good man." I shrugged, "I guess it was amazing how one man like him could make a difference..."

I paused as a light bulb went off in my head.

"That's it!" I exclaimed, "One-Man!"

"One-Man?" Ms. Adriene asked.

"I guess... I just want to be known as a man who when was around after Superheroes were banned...I guess it's to show someone can change things in life."

"Poetic." Ms. Adriene smiled, writing it down and then drawing an outline of a person, "Now let's talk about the costume. How should we..."

"Cape." I said without hesitation.

She looked at me confused.

"I have a taste for the classics." I smiled, "In fact from what I saw in the newspapers in your suitcase, you once wore the American Flag on your back."

"That was the news making their usual case of distorting the facts," Ms. Adriene said, "This person I'm going to helped me weave one into the back part of a bullet-proof cheerleading jacket I had, so it looked like how some of those jackets have a school logo on the back."

"Speaking of Jean Jackets," I said, "Could we get a male jean jacket for me worn over a white shirt?"

Ms. Adriene doodled the images down on the outline.

"Oh, I'd like to have long white pants. And a white eye mask. And red sneakers."

Abby finished her doodling and then closed the book.

"I'll see what I can do." I said, "If I can convince my old friend to help us out, then we should have an all-new costume for you to use within the next few days. Plus I'll see if we can get some upgrades to your costume."

"Thanks." I said.

"Well," She looked at her watch, "I've gotta get going to pack. Let's get you home."

I walked with her as we both entered her car and drove home where my parents were waiting for me. After paying her for today's 'extra work hours' that Ms. Adriene had recently gotten permission from my parents to do, she took off, leaving me hyped for her return.

…

_**Two Days Later, New York City...**_

_**ABBY'S POV:**_

_Oh Mindy. _I thought, as I walked through the prison, _What happened to you?_

I arrived in New York late last night. My parents had been there to greet me; the first time we've seen each other since before the semester started. We all had dinner at an old diner in my neighborhood as I would be staying in my old place for a while. They were shocked to learn I was going through and majoring in law, but even more pleased to learn that I was tutoring a student. My Mom was the most ecstatic and assured me that no matter what, I was going to be the perfect role model for Doug. I hope to god that she's right about this. After diner, we went home where I slept in my old room which was now a guest room. Gone were the superhero posters I used to have and my bed was now a new one with green sheets.

After my parents said goodnight, I did research to find out what happened to Hit-Girl...and what I found made me shocked beyond belief.

During the real-life Battle for New York, Hit-Girl was able to get away on a motorcycle, but was caught afterwards, and put in prison, along with her adoptive father.

Fortunately, I picked up a few skills on hacking and forgery recently thanks to my college classes, and was able to construct a fake ID and documents and then call up the prison where Hit-Girl was being held at, convincing them that I was writing about the fall of superheroes and that I was given information to 'interview' Hit-Girl.

So here I was now. Standing before the giant prison, as I went inside. I told one of the officers that

I sat alone in the room waiting while drumming my fingers.

A few minutes later, the doors opened and Mindy was brought in. She was wearing a prison uniform and had handcuffs on her arms and feet. Her face was bruised and there were hints of dirt in her disheveled hair. Mindy eyed me although I wasn't sure if she had a look of anger or pity.

"I'll leave you two here then." The guard told us, "You have one hour and that's it."

With that, he left us alone. The both of us just stared at each other. This was the first time we met since my retirement, and the first time I've seen Hit-Girl without her costume.

"Why are you here?" Mindy asked me.

"I need help." I answered honestly.

"Right." Mindy scoffed, "I seem to remember asking you for help after I saved your worthless ass from D'Amico for a second time, and you didn't respond."

That was true, actually. Before this whole shit with Doug went down, I had received a few repeating texts from Hit-Girl asking for help, but I had always responded with 'No.' At one point, I had even told her to leave me alone or I'd actually call the cops on her. Needless to say, the final showdown in New York did that for me, and I was just feeling even guiltier about not being there for her when I should have.

"Come on, Hit-Girl!" I pleaded, "What about when I was able to protect my own identity on my own? Or the time I saved my own TV Movie? I did plenty of good then. Doesn't that count?!"

"That was before things got bad." Mindy answered, while slipping both a lighter and a pack of cigarettes out of her sleeves, "That was before the Motherfucker grew balls and actually did something threatening. We were on the verge of it, Abby. You knew this was going to happen, but you pussied out because you were too scared to fight what was coming."

She took out a cigarette and lit it.

"So name one good reason why I should help you and not let the guards take me away again. Because right now, I'm taking my chances with surviving this shit-hole and waiting for a rescue that will most likely never come more than spending another minute talking to you."

"There's this kid I've been tutoring..." I explained, "His name's Doug. He's about 16-Years-Old and he...he found out about my past."

Mindy smirked with a raised eyebrow.

"Impressive." She said sarcastically, "You've managed to screw up and forget every damn tactic I ever taught you."

I groaned and continued.

"He wants to be a hero now..." I told her, passing her the notes I'd taken down for his hero as she began to look them over, "I yelled at him. I told him to forget about it, but...I feel as if I want to train him."

Mindy looked at me a little surprised. I could tell I at least had her attention.

"I might go back to being American Woman someday, or I may not. Regardless, I'm sure of one thing; if I don't train him, he'll go out on his own and then...I can't have another death I caused on my hands, Mindy. So if you have any sympathy for me, you'll give me what I need to train him and shadow him while he's on patrol without anyone knowing. That's all I'm asking for. After that you'll never hear from me again unless its Superhero related."

I looked at her as she looked back at me.

"Give me your phone." She finally said.

I gave her my phone as she began typing stuff into my phone.

"Follow these instructions carefully." She said, "I still have some contacts on the outside. The instructions on where to get what you need are there."

She handed the phone back to me.

"And Abby;" She added, "Don't fuck this up."

"I won't." I promised.

"Nice to see you're doing something at least." She smiled.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I have a plan to get out." Mindy smiled, "You just watch your own ass. And make sure that kid does the same also."

I nodded and left her.

…

_**One Week Later, Orlando, Florida,**_

_**DOUG'S POV:**_

I went straight for the dummy again. Ms. Adriene had set up a practice where she had placed a mannequin dummy away from me and pulled the fingers of the dummy over a paintball gun to have it fire off paintballs repeatedly in order to simulate what it would feel like to have someone shooting at me.

This whole past week was all about putting me through stressful and grueling situations in order to prepare me for my debut as One-Man. Ms. Adriene also had also set-up a session in which she had cranked up the heat and used a pyro-box to simulate how to deal with a fire, and an improvisational study in order to help me keep my identity secret.

But by far, the most grueling of these tasks was the paintball. I wasn't a fad of the sport to begin with, but I assumed it would hurt when I heard about it. Truth is, it hurt more than I thought when we started this training.

Every day, I felt myself getting bombarded with paintballs and having a non-stop pain when it was all over. But Ms. Adriene kept telling me that if I couldn't handle a paintball, it wasn't going to do me much good if I got shot at. She told me that if I did, I would REALLY get hurt.

But once again, I told myself that if I was to be a real Super-Hero, this is the way I had to go. Superman and Batman never got to where they were by just fighting bad-guys all the time. Even they needed to improve their skills every so often, just as every other super-hero did.

And so this time, I ran at the manequine, pushing head-first and straight-forward. A paintball hit me in my right arm, and then in my chest, but I continued to fight the pain, and went straight ahead, rolling underneath the gun and missing the continuing shots, before popping up behind the mannequin.

"Bravo!" Ms. Adriene approvingly cheered, clapping her hands together.

"Thanks." I breathed, "So we done for today?"

"Not quite." She said, "I actually have a gift for you."

"A…a gift?" I asked, confused.

She smiled and went into one of the locker rooms. A minute later, she returned carrying a big black bag with her. She laid it on the floor in front of me.

"Well?" She asked, "Open it."

I unzipped the bag and gasped. Inside was a cape, a jean-jacket, white pants and a shirt, a white eye mask, and the red sneakers. Additionally, there was a metal slugger bat in there which had the words 'OM' engraved in there.

"So here's your present." Ms. Adriene smiled, "Let me explain to you how the jean jacket and pants work…"

She took out the jean jacket and showed it to me.

"They are both equipped with a type of bullet-proof-cloth." Ms. Adriene said, "But it won't last forever. Plus, your face will still be vulnerable, so don't get hit there."

I looked at her amazed.

"So that's it?" I asked.

"It's all my friend could afford while she was in prison." Ms. Adriene told me, "Be thankful she was able to get that and the bat."

She then smiled at me.

"So…" She asked, "Wanna go out for your first test run?"

I looked at her amazed.

"You serious?" I asked.

I looked at the costume and then back at her.

"Hell. Yes." I said.

"Good." She smiled, "Suit up."

…

A few minutes later I was all dressed in my costume. It felt amazing wearing this thing for the first time. Was this what Ms. Adriene felt when she first wore her costume, perhaps?

I pulled the mask over me, grinning like an idiot.

I walked over to see that Ms. Adriene had dressed herself in a dark wool-sleeved shirt, black pants, and glasses worn over a black mask.

"What's with the mask?" I asked.

"Since I'm going to be shadowing you," Ms. Adriene explained, "I can't have people recognizing me. Even if I'm going to be doing it from the car."

I looked at her confused.

"We're taking your car?" I asked.

"No." Ms. Adriene smiled, "We're taking another car. The final gift from that friend of mine."

We walked to the doors which led to the garage of this club. Normally, we never went in here, so whatever Ms. Adriene had planned for us, it had to be good. She opened the door and I gasped. Inside was a black minivan with those windows that people have to hide themselves from other people.

Ms. Adriene just smiled as she led me into the car and we got in. I then noticed there was a silent rifle set between the driver and passenger seat, as well as a dashboard with a button and dial above the radio. There was even a police radio attached to the right side of the dashboard.

Ms. Adriene started the car and took us out.

She turned on the radio, and we continued to drive around aimlessly. Every so often, she would check the radio, listening for a sign.

"Ms. Adriene?" I asked, "What are we waiting for exactly?"

"Anything." She answered, "This is your first test-run, Doug. Whatever happens, I need you to show me that you can take care of it…"

"ALL FORCES!" The Radio blared, "WE HAVE A REPORT THAT CONGRESSWOMAN BELL REND IS BEING HELD INSIDE THE OLD SHIRT FACTORY ON VICTORYLAND AVENUE! REPEAT, CONGRESSWOMAN BELL IS…"

Ms. Adriene switched the phone off and turned to me.

"Well, Doug." She sighed, "It looks like you're getting your chance to actually stop a serious crime. You ready?"

My heart was pounding at my chest. My first act as a hero was potentially rescuing a Congresswoman from some kidnappers!

"Let's do it." I said.

Ms. Adriene smiled as she turned the car and began speeding towards the place.

"By the way…" I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what did you do to get you recognition?"

She smiled.

"I saved a pregnant woman from some thugs." She admitted, "But between you and me, I think you got the better first go."

…

When we arrived around the back entrance, Ms. Adriene parked behind a bunch of bushes, making sure to hide the car, before we went into the old factory. It had a chill and it was very dark. Ms. Adriene told me she would keep an eye above for anybody and I would have to go take care of them on the ground. Among the many things Ms. Adriene had taught me was how to be stealthy like Batman in _Arkham Asylum_. I was young, so I could move quickly.

As I crept up on the door, I opened it slowly and saw a group of guys in black masks and leather jackets, standing over the congresswoman who had blonde hair, wire framed glasses, and wore a grey smart suit and skirt. Two of the guards were holding bats and one was holding a gun. I noted that the guy holding the gun had his back turned to me, and the other two were standing by the window turned away from me as well.

"Where the fuck are the police?" One of the guys by the window asked, "How the hell are we supposed to ransom for her life if we don't have anybody there to see it."

I snuck up quietly on the man with the guns. If there was anything that Ms. Adriene and Rocksteady Studios taught me is that when sneaking up on bad guys, you always want to take out the guys with the guns first.

"They'll be here…" The other guy with the bat said, "Eventually."

The guy with the gun was about to say something, but was silenced when I slammed both fists into the goon's head, knocking him out. The two goons and the congresswoman looked at me with different expressions.

The woman was looking at me amazed while the other two were looking at me with anger.

"Who the fuck…?!" One of the goons with the bat asked.

"GET HIM!" His partner said.

They both lunged at me as I took out my own bat and knocked the guy to my right in the head, sending him to the ground. The other guy got lucky, though and wacked me in my left arm hard.

I ignored the pain, holding onto my bat hard, as I turned to the congresswoman.

"Get out of here!" I demanded.

She did as I told her and I fought back against the two gangsters.

I swung the bat at the goon's face, hearing a 'crunch' noise in the process. He staggered back in pain and then I swung my leg up between his knees.

I looked at the two who were wincing down on the ground.

"Yeah." I smiled, "How'd you like that?"

I was so proud of my work that I almost didn't hear the sound of a toilet being flushed and then someone coming out of another room.

"Guys?" One of the skinner guys asked, "I'd hate to say this, but the toilet's…"

He stopped when he saw me and his two associates lying on the ground.

He lunged at me, but was cut short when a sudden 'BANG!' sound went off. I had a feeling I knew who it was, and seeing how the guy who was attacking me didn't, I took this opportunity to give him a quick punch right up his chin.

The last guy went down, and I looked up to see Ms. Adriene hiding up on one of the balconies, holding a rifle in her hands.

She motioned for me to get out, as I did so.

…

_**ABBY'S POV:**_

I don't know what's wrong with me.

This new gun I got from Mindy…I should've hit that guy who was going to take down Doug right in his knee. My every fiber of energy wanted to join the fight. Wanted to punch or hurt something. So why couldn't I? Why was I resisting to fight?

Maybe… Maybe it was because I was still uneasy with using a gun. Maybe I was uneasy with the bullets still. But I had agreed to train Doug, and he would need protection. It seemed as if I hadn't counted on making sure I was emotionally stable myself.

Suddenly, I realized something else. I raced downstairs because I realized I hadn't heard the other door closing behind us. This place was big, and I was certain if the congresswoman had left, I'd have heard something by now.

…

_**DOUG'S POV:**_

As I raced to get out, I was suddenly caught off-guard when someone wacked me on the head from around the corner, and then was thrust into a chokehold.

"It's funny." The Congresswoman's voice said, as her arms began to squeeze around my neck, "It seems as if taking those self-defense classes at a young age did pay off for me. Now you'd better give me one good reason why I shouldn't end your life right here!"

She was surprisingly strong, and I could tell that she was going to kill me unless I acted soon.

"Congresswoman, please!" I heard Ms. Adriene's voice say.

The Congresswoman dropped me as I gasped for air, looking up to see Ms. Adriene approaching, arms up along with her rifle.

"Hear me out," She said, "I know that Superheroes are basically outlawed now, but do you really think that's going to stop all the costumed activity?"

"And who do you think you are?" The Congresswoman asked.

"I'm somebody who deserves to die right now for what happened to me." Ms. Adriene explained, "You see, Ms. Congresswoman, I was once a real-life hero myself. And it cost the life of a 16-Year-Old Boy to make me stop. But recently, I've realized something…no matter how many times you try and change the law, no matter how many times you try and make things different, you can't stop people from having their own independent free will."

The Congresswoman seemed intrigued now as Ms. Adriene continued.

"And believe it or not, Ms. Congresswoman." Ms. Adriene added, "Even if we hadn't shown up tonight, your kidnapping has proven something: that super villain activity is not as dead as I thought it was. Believe me, I want nothing of it. I don't! But this young man has saved your life and either way, this simple act of kidnapping has probably been the incentive for more crime! So like it or not, villains are going to eventually come back, and when they do, you can bet that they're going to be a lot more confident when they learn that you were easily kidnapped."

The congresswoman looked at Ms. Adriene and then back at me suspiciously.

"What are you proposing?" She asked.

"You have one or two options," Ms. Adriene stated, putting her gun down and kicking it over to her, "You can either shoot me, or you can allow costumed heroes back in Florida, and increase your chances of getting help before the crap hits the fan. But know this; if you're going to kill me, then I'll have nothing left to loose. The choice is up to you."

The Congresswoman looked at the gun and then back at Ms. Adriene.

"You'd be willing to give up your life so easily." The Congresswoman noted, "It's not every day I see someone that devoted, so I'll see what I can do for your superhero friends. I'm going to hear hell from my colleagues for this, but it'll sound better to the compelling arguments you seem to make."

"Thank you." Ms. Adriene said.

"I will need a name for this young man, though." The Congresswoman said.

I looked at her seriously.

"I'm One-Man." I said.

"Alright, One-Man." The Congresswoman stated.

And with that she left.

"We better leave as well." Ms. Adriene told me.

We both hightailed it out of there, and got into our car, taking off as fast as we could.

"So how did I do?" I asked.

Ms. Adriene was silent as we drove.

"Not good?" I asked, a bit disappointed.

"Let's just see what happens tomorrow." Ms. Adriene said, without a sign of emotion.

"Why?"

"Because something like this is bound to hit the news tonight. It's almost time for you to be dropped off home, and you'll be going to sleep soon."

"You'll watch it tonight."

"I'll have to." She said.

I sat there and sighed, wondering about how my first performance would be.

…

_**Later that Night, ABBY'S POV:**_

After we changed back into civilian clothing, I had dropped Doug off, and went straight back home. As it turned out, there was a press conference tonight from that Congresswoman, and already all my nerves were shaking. I was never so terrified in my life. I actually ended up taking a coffee to make sure I wouldn't pass out.

As I waited to see what would happen, I noticed the briefcase with all my old stuff in it. Moving over, I took out my old costume and prayed silently.

"Please." I begged, "Please don't let it be that we fucked it up."

Suddenly, the announcement of the Congresswoman's arrival was announced, and my eyes went back to the TV screen, watching as the Congresswoman took the podium.

"Good evening," She said, "And thank you for joining me on this important announcement. As many are aware, about a year ago, vigilantes were banned from New York City, and since then, some states have made laws to prevent these 'real-life superheroes,' while others allow them to go free."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"As many of you know, I have been neutral in my stance on whether or not to allow these real-life vigilantes to operate in Florida." She explained, "But earlier today, I happened to be kidnapped when two new vigilantes rescued me. Their rescue made me realize that despite the laws other states have adopted, people still act as if these laws do not mean anything. Therefore, I come here today to announce that under my administration, Vigilante Efforts here in Florida are allowed to operate."

I clasped my hands over my mouth in amazement as I heard some cheers and complaints coming from the reporters.

"This is not an open invitation to the so-called 'super villains,' to take hold," The Congresswoman stated, "But I warn you, if you do, there is someone out there who will stop you. Someone who stopped the punks like you with almost no ease. His name is One-Man and I am officially declaring him as Florida's Champion Super Hero!"

I turned the TV off. This was too perfect. Even if people were disagreeing, it didn't matter. Vigilantes were here to stay in Florida, and I just felt so happy right now.

Walking over to the window, I looked up into the sky and smiled.

"Thanks, Mindy." I whispered, as my expression became more serious, "Now I just have to make sure he lives through this."

…

_**DOUG'S POV:**_

"Doug?" I heard a familiar voice say, "Doug? Wake up!"

I opened my eyes and saw Ms. Adriene sitting by my bedside. A newspaper folded in her arm.

"Your Mom and Dad have business, so they asked me to look after you for the day."

I remembered that they had that meeting today, but I still had one question.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the newspaper.

"Your performance record." She replied, handing it to me.

I read the paper and gasped.

Apparently, I had such an impressive rescue, that as of now, Florida was now a Super-Hero-Free State! The Congresswoman was even declaring me as 'Florida's Super Hero Champion!'

"I'd say you passed with an A+." Ms. Adriene smiled, "But hey; I'm a retired Super Heroine. So what would I know?"

I smiled at her, and she gave a wink.

"Of course," She said, her tone becoming more serious, "This is just the beginning. Now Supervillains are going to be coming out of the woodworks, and we're going to need to be training."

She got up and began walking out.

"I'd suggest you shower, get changed, and come down to have breakfast, because we're going to be training harder and double-time today."

I knew it was going to be exhausting, but that didn't stop me from grinning ear to ear.

…

_**Third Person's POV…**_

_**2001 Revolutionary Strip Club…**_

Although Super Heroes were made legal in Florida, there were still some questionable things that were still legal.

For example Strip Clubs were often available to anybody with the right cash, who needed the right girl.

Right now, a balding man with a moustache was watching a 20-Year-Old Girl moving around exotically on a stripper pole. She had long reddish-blondish hair, and a body that looked like it was right for any man. Her only clothing was a black latex-mesh swimsuit that concealed her privates, but showed off all the skin in her body. Other than that, she wore black high heels.

Instincts made the man go for the woman's underwear, but she quickly responded with a kick across the face.

The man screamed in pain, and held his nose which was starting to bleed uncontrollably.

"Yew shtupid bidth, yew brmnke my nmse." The man groaned in pain.

"Screw you, asshole." The Woman stated, walking backstage.

The woman groaned frustrated as she ran her hair through her head.

About a year or two ago, she'd be much different. She had an opportunity once. She was working for a billionaire, with a job that sounded great at the time, and could make her millions.

Turns out the scumbag had hired his younger cousin to do the job for him, and left her on her own soon afterwards with a one-way-trip here to Florida as her reward.

Too bad the jackass didn't mention there was no returning now.

So here she was, working a pathetic life at a strip club instead of doing a job that only others could dream about.

As she looked at her face in the mirror, she heard someone call out from behind.

"Ashley Tristolli?" A voice called.

Ashley turned around to see a man dressed in a long white coat and hat to conceal his face. He also had a briefcase clutched in his right hand. From the looks of this guy, he had millionaire written all over him.

"Yeah?" She asked, "But don't expect me to be doing you any favors. I'm just on my way out."

"Oh, I'm not interested in what you're doing here now." The man said, with an assuring tone in his voice, "I'm much more interested in what you used to do."

Ashley stopped and looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Ms. Tristolli…" The man said, "I'm not supposed to even be here, but I happen to know that last night, vigilantisim was made free again. Both heroes and villains are allowed in Florida, and as such I know you used to be a villain yourself."

"It was a one-time-cheap-skate-shit-eating-asshole who hired me and then left me on the streets alone." Ashley explained, "Give me one good reason why I should work for you."

"I'll give you two." The Man said, "The first and obvious reason is because that you don't seem very content with how you're living now. The second is that I am nothing like the person who hired you. I always make sure my clients come out and return to work safely. No matter what."

He opened the briefcase and began shaking out the contents. Thousands of hundred-dollar bills were spilled onto the floor. This would have been surprising to Ashley alone had the last thing in the briefcase not dropped out.

The last thing to come out was a costume. It was a black-colored full-body suit. There was a belt drawn across the waist, and in the center of the suit was a large 'B' written in red.

"This…" Ashley asked, looking at all the money on the floor, as well as the costume, "Is this all for me?"

"That and more." The man grinned, "I can get you out of prison if you get caught in almost no time flat. I'll even let you keep the money if you decide not to come with me. But you can have so much more if you wish. It's your choice, though."

Ashley was just amazed with what she had that she almost didn't see the jackass who almost violate her come into the room.

"Hey, you little shit." The jackass said, holding his nose, "Your boss said you owe me a lap dance and the time of my life."

Ashley got up and walked over to the man in the trench coat.

"You won't need that briefcase, right?" She asked.

"I have a million of these." The man answered honestly.

"Good." Ashley said, as she grabbed the briefcase and hit the jackass with the broken nose across his face, sending him to the ground. She then proceeded to slam the case repeatedly into the man's face until he wasn't breathing.

Satisfied, Ashley went over to the costume.

"Can I just put this on now before we go?" She asked.

"By all means." The man said as the woman changed, "And in case you're wondering, I had my best servants work on that costume specifically for you. I have to admit, you show impressive skills. I do look forward to seeing how my next task for you goes, Ms. Tristolli."

"Please." Ashley grinned, "Call me by my real name…"

She stepped out revealing herself in her costume.

"You can call me The Bitch!"

…..

_**And there you have it, folks! Already Doug has managed to become a hero and make Florida a Vigilante-Free Area. Of course, this comes as a welcome card to super villains as well, but as a famous 2008 Movie once said "the night is always just as dark before the dawn." A new dawn is coming for Doug's home. The next chapter will explore the heroes and villains showing up around Florida, and will feature the beginning of Doug's first super villain fight against one of Abby's old foes. And spoiler alert; this won't be the last of Abby's old foes that he goes up against.**_

_**Oh, I should probably remind you who The Bitch is before I end this. Yeah, WAAAAAYYY back in my American Woman fanfic, I created The Bitch who was supposed to be the main antagonist for Abby's story. Needless to say, I scrapped the idea due to the problems I was facing and I rewrote her as a character for another story I can't tell you all about yet. However, when I was sitting down to write this story, I realized I wanted some of Abby's past to catch up with her also, and I decided to bring back The Bitch to start things off. Rest assured, I will be fleshing out WHY she became a villainess and WHAT she's been up to in the next chapter as well.**_

_**Well, that's my bit. Remember to review and favorite this story. Thanks again!**_


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